


All this for some Slippers

by Miyuki_mist12



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, But she still loves her brother, Gen, Jamie is a grumpy teenager but still loves his sister and adventure, No one gets hurt if that's what you're wondering, Sibling Bonding, Sophie likes to tease her brother, Written for Rise of the Guardians Halloween Challenge 2020, first attempt at ROTG fic, low key spoopy vibes, tis the season
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:20:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27115297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miyuki_mist12/pseuds/Miyuki_mist12
Summary: Sophie enlists Jamie in the middle of the night to help track down the thief responsible for stealing some precious slippers of hers. Their investigation takes them deep into the forest where they encounter something they weren't expecting.Written for Day 1 Prompt: Slippers
Relationships: Hinted Jamie Bennett/Jack Frost, Jamie Bennett & Sophie Bennett, not the main focus though - Relationship
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	All this for some Slippers

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there.  
> As the tag says, this is my first published attempt at writing anything for Rise of the Guardians. More specifically for the Rise of the Guardian Halloween challenge. Don't know why it took me this long anyway since I fell in love with the film upon watching it back in 2012.

“C’mon, Jamie! They went this way!” Sophie Bennett insisted as she pulled her older brother, Jamie, along a dirt path one late October evening. 

The night air was chilly, though not chilly enough for a certain winter spirit to make his rounds. The Bennett siblings knew they wouldn’t be seeing him for another two months. Right now, it was just the two of them, coats over their pajamas as they trekked along the path imprinted by small footprints trailing forward. Their only source of light were the moon and their flashlights.

“All this for a pair of slippers, Soph?” Jamie asked, sleep still evident in his voice. “You own more than one pair, you know.” The younger Bennett aimed a glare in his direction.

“Yeah? But, those are my _favorite_ pair. I worked really hard to afford those, and I refuse to leave them in the clutches of some wolf-rabbit thing!”

Jamie raised an eyebrow imploringly. “Wolf-rabbit, you say?” The brunet never heard Bunnymund mention sharing any relations with the wolf family. Unless Wererabbits really were a thing.

The blond-haired girl blushed. “That’s what it looked like, at least. Now come _on_. The sooner I get those slippers back, the sooner we can head back home without Mom finding out.”

“And what do you suppose we do if we end up finding this ‘wolf-rabbit’?” Jamie asked, more awake and unnerved after looking at the swaying trees lining beside the path. The branches had long been shed of their leaves, leaving them to appear as long dark bony fingers reaching out under the glow of the moon. “Who’s to say it won’t act aggressively?”

Sophie blinked for a moment, admittedly not having thought of that. “Well….We can always ask nicely for them back?” she said quite weakly.

Jamie hit her with an expression that clearly read “Are you shitting me?” before bringing a hand up to his eyes groaning exasperatingly. “Before or after asking it nicely to not maul us?”

“If it’s anything like the Guardians, then maybe we can reason with it.” Sophie suggested. 

“Sophie, even if it turns out to be something supernatural, that doesn’t guarantee it’ll react well to humans.” Jamie retorted, rubbing his eyes. ”Remember the Mole Man?”

The blond-haired girl winced at the memory. Never again would she underestimate the savagery of moles, especially not of pick ax-wielding moles. “To be fair, we did wake him before his hibernation period was up. But at least we got a longer winter afterward since he saw his shadow and everything,” She then added teasingly, “Which meant a longer visit from Jack.”

Jamie’s mouth twitched a smile. “Yeah. That part was great.” Even well into his teens, Jamie was still visited regularly by the winter spirit. Something he was still surprised but also very happy with. 

“So, when’s the wedding, bro?” Sophie asked as if she were discussing the weather.

The brunet stumbled, almost falling over. “I’m sorry, what?” He stared incredulously at his younger sister who was donning that “oh so innocent” smile of hers.

“Haha. Oh, nothing.” Sophie replied, still grinning in the manner Jamie knew was her being sneaky. One of the many things Jamie became accustomed to when his sister became old enough to speak coherently. The aftermath of having a younger sibling. 

Jamie shook his head, hiding his flushed cheeks, and sighed. “Let’s just hurry up and find those damn slippers. I’m starting to see my breath.” He rubbed his hands together, a puff of air escaping his mouth as he spoke. “Just how far does this trail go?” He squinted down at the feet prints.

“Far enough to lead into that forest.” Sophie shivered as she pointed towards the dark sea of bare trees. The footprints would lead them deep into the forest were they to press forward.

Both siblings gulped. The woods looked more inviting during the day and was practically where they and the gang commonly hung out. However, with it being late into the night, the woods donned an entirely different persona, one of ominous uncertainty. 

“...Well,” Jamie spoke, breaking the silence. “We’ve made it this far without incident. Might as well keep going.”

“Y-yeah,” Sophie said, Looping both her arms around her brother’s. She then looked up at Jamie with an apologetic smile. “And if whatever we encounter in there attacks, you have full rights to use me as escape bait, seeing that this was my stupid idea.”

Jamie’s visible hazel eye softened. He then lifted his arm out of Sophie’s grip and wrapped it around her in a hug. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. Never in a thousand years would I leave you to die from some forest lurking monster.” He gave a half-smile. “Besides, it’s also my fault for going along with your stupid idea. So, we’re both liable here.”

“Heh. We’re living almost every horror movie trope so far,” Her smile then softened. “Even though you’re sort of a grouch these days, you’re still the best brother.”

Jamie chuckled, ruffling the top of Sophie’s head. “Even though you’re the cause of some grey hairs, you're still the best sister.” He turned his gaze to the forest. “C’mon, we got some slippers to retrieve.”

Sophie smiled even more. It was always uplifting being reminded that Jamie still possessed that spirited and determined spark. Even if that spark hasn’t been seen as much as it used to.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The siblings trekked through the woods for what felt like hours. The only sound being the fallen leaves of the bare branches crunching under their feet. They had to turn on their flashlights, as even the moon was no longer enough to light their path. 

Something in the distance that was floating and glowing orange caught their eyes, making them come to a stop. Jamie squinted his eyes, wondering if he was just seeing things. As far as he knew, he and Sophie were the only ones within the woods. He shined the flashlight in the direction of the mysterious object.

What he and Sophie saw sent a chill through their bones.

The floating object was coming closer and it was then did they discover that the object wasn’t even floating. It wasn’t just any old object either, it was a lit jack-o-Lantern. Said jack-o-Lantern was being carried, tucked in the arm of a person dressed in a suit and cape as they rode on a dark horse whose only contrasting feature being two glowing white eyes. You’d think the horse would be enough to fill the two adolescents with a deep chilling fright. No, it was the fact that the rider had nothing attached to their neck.

“It’s the Headless Horseman, isn’t it?” Jamie asked with more eveness than what should be appropriate in a situation like this. Sophie tightened her arms around her brother’s.

“Yup.” Sophie stared at the headless figure wide-eyed.

“And he’s coming this way.”

“Uh-huh.”

“We should probably run now.”

“Great minds think alike.”

With that, Jamie instantly turned around grabbing Sophie’s hand and made a run for it, the galloping of the mare behind them.

The chase lasted for some time until the horse made a jump over their heads, intercepting the Bennett siblings’ path. 

Jamie and Sophie skid to a halt, Jamie quickly moving Sophie behind him. The brunet breathed heavily, catching his breath and willing his racing heart to calm down, as he stared up into the glowing “eyes” of the horseman’s pumpkin head. The horseman himself stared back, at least his “head” did. The silence lasted for some time.

Jamie considered running again until an echoey yet passive voice spoke.

“I beg your pardon, children,” Both Jamie and Sophie were surprised at the calm tone coming out from the makeshift head of the horseman. “But, I have been trying to get your attention for the last minute.” The light glowing through the features of the head flickered with each word.

Both Bennett siblings were now utterly confused. However, seeing there didn’t seem to be any threat to worry over, their tenseness dissipated marginally.

“Almost running us over was your way of getting our attention?” Sophie snapped, fear replaced with irritation. Jamie shot her a reprimanding look before turning his gaze back to the horseman.

“Sorry,” The brunet said in apology for Sophie’s callousness, “but my sister does have a point there. Your entrance gave off an entirely different impression.”

“Again, you’ll have to excuse me,” the Horseman’s upper body bowed slightly. “No longer possessing a neck does make it difficult for the sight at times.”

Jamie winced as he unconsciously rubbed his own neck. “That’s understandable. So, you’re the Horseman, huh?” 

“Indeed. I see you’ve heard of me.”

“Yeah, my brother would never shut up about you when we were kids.” Sophie peeped behind Jamie’s shoulder. “You were practically his go-to Halloween story to hear.” Jamie scowled in embarrassment.

“I’m deeply honored. Most would prefer to fear me than revere me.”

“Well, I learned that fear and respect can sometimes go hand in hand.” Jamie shrugged with a half-smile. “I do respect how much fear your story still instills despite being centuries years old.”

The Horseman chuckled. “And I’m thankful there are people like you keeping my tale alive.”

Jamie and Sophie looked at each other with softened glances, understanding the implication within that statement. “Though, do you get tired of being a headless ghost sometimes? Ever thought of moving on?” Sophie asked, moving from behind Jamie.

“The thought has crossed my mind, I will admit,” The horseback ghost sighed wistfully. “but I’m afraid I’m still attached to this earth. Maybe someday I’ll ride off to the great beyond, but that day isn’t today. Still so many places to see, still so many people to fright.” The last part being laced with mischief.

“So, you don’t really kill anyone?” Jamie asked, his mind reeling to _The Legend of Sleepy Hollows_ sitting in his bookshelf back home.

“Oh, heavens no!” The Horseman sounded appalled. “Some of the stories you mortals come up with are greatly exaggerated. I’ve frightened many souls in my time, but never to actual death.”

“Oh,” Sophie blinked. “Well, that’s good to know.” Jamie on his part didn’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed that the Horseman was in reality more harmless than what the stories of him depicted. 

But he was definitely not disappointed about meeting his favorite Halloween time ghost in person. The gang wasn’t going to believe this. He wondered if Jack had ever encountered the Horseman himself at some point. He made a mental note to ask the winter spirit the minute he came back.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, children.” The Horseman bowed again. “But, I’m afraid I must make haste, the night won’t last forever. Oh, I almost forgot,” he reached into his cape with his free hand and pulled out a pair of expensive-looking ballet flats. “Would you happen to be the owner of this pair of footwear?”

Sophie let out a strong gasp. “Yes! They’re actually mine.” Sophie caught them as the Horseman passed it over, hugging them close to her chest. “Oh my god, thank you so much! How did you find them?” 

“A very odd creature was holding them in its possession. Some sort of rabbit, but it was massive and howled every time the moon appeared. I believe it intended to use your shoes to house its young. Fortunately, it relinquished them quite easily.”

Sophie aimed a smug expression at her brother, rubbing in that she was indeed correct about the description of the shoe thief. Jamie merely rolled his eyes.

“I’m glad all is well, children. Farewell, and do take care on your way home.” The Horseman patted his mare, getting it to trot down the path.

Jamie and Sophie watched him proceed deeper into the woods, waving him goodbye. 

“Goodbye! And thank you!”

“Bye! Thanks a bunch!”

The Horseman paused and turned his upper body around, shifting his head to look back at the siblings. He waved with his free hand before vanishing into the darkness.

Jamie and Sophie both sighed. 

“Kinda wish I brought my autograph book.” Jamie mused, “if I had known we’d run into the Horseman, I would’ve asked him to sign it.”

Sophie chortled. “Before or after knowing he’s not actually bloodthirsty?” her expression turned pensive. “Anyway, thank god we got what we came for. Think the only question left is, how long it’s gonna take to get home.” The blond remarked, sucking a cheek in.

Jamie smirked and pulled out a snowglobe from his jacket pocket. “Lucky for you, your big brother came prepared.” He muttered into the globe, “Bennett house.” and tossed it, conjuring a whirling portal that led into Jamie’s bedroom.

Sophie’s green eyes widened. “Wow. Need I ask how you got that?”

The brunet shrugged nonchalantly. “I know a guy.” He made another mental note to thank Jack later. “Come on, let’s go before it disappears.” The younger Bennett nodded and entered it side by side with Jamie, the portal closing behind them as they stepped out of the cold darkness of the forest and into the warm safety of Jamie’s bedroom.

“Thanks, bro.” Sophie spoke softly, taking a seat at the edge of Jamie’s bed. “You know, for getting us back home and coming with me in the first place. I know I could’ve gotten us both into serious trouble.”

The brunet took a seat next to Sophie and put an arm around his little sister’s shoulder. “Of course I’d come with you. I’m your big brother, remember?” He gently stated. “that’ll never change, no matter how much older I’ll get.” 

The siblings shared a smile before also sharing a hug. 

“Though, you are aware you owe me big time, right?”

“Yeah yeah, I know.”

_END_


End file.
